Memories
by Penny Shepard
Summary: After returning from Paris Gibbs officially moves in with Jenny, and things for our fave couple are looking good; but what happens when Penny's biological father turns up? A man whom she has never met, and a man who never knew she existed.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, here is my next story. In this one it introduces Penny's biological father Danny Green, and uses flash backs, shown in italics, to Jenny's past to show what happened during their relationship, culminating in Penny's birth. I've had to change some of the dates because when I did some working out I realised that stuff didn't quite fit. So to explain, my series is set in 2005 onwards; Penny is twenty-one, not twenty-two as previously stated, and was born in 1984. I have changed these details in the previous stories. Any that's enough from me, please just sit back and enjoy, and also if you wouldn't mind reviewing that'd be great.**

Gibbs groaned and huffed as he carried the heavy box along the sidewalk and into the house, with Penny not too far behind him with a smaller one. He gave one last huff as he all but threw it on top of another two boxes already sitting in the hall, and Penny gently placed the box she was carrying next to that.

'Wow Gibbs, never realised you had so much stuff.' She said as she rested against the bannister of the stairs.

Jenny and Gibbs had been back from Paris for a week, and were now moving some of Gibbs's things into the Georgetown house. Penny had been ecstatic when she'd found out that they'd gotten engaged in Paris, and that Gibbs was moving in, although she hadn't realised that he hadn't actually moved in given that he practically lived with them anyway.

As Penny rested for a few moments, Gibb returned to his car to get another box, leaving Penny and Jenny alone in the house. Penny stood next to the stair case and bit her bottom lip, silently tracing a shape on the floor with her foot.

'Are you alright Pen?' Jenny asked her daughter with concern, as she could tell that she wanted to say something, but maybe wasn't too sure how to say it.

'Yeah I'm alright; it's just that I've kinda been thinking about how Gibbs is moving in now…' She began awkwardly '…well now that you are going to be getting married and starting a family and all that jazz, are you still happy with me living here?' She said finally.

Jenny looked in surprise at her daughter, and was a little shocked that she would think that. She held out her arm and Penny moved into her embrace.

'Of course I'm still happy with you here; can't believe you would even consider otherwise.' She said as she held her daughter tightly and kissed her on the head.

'Well I thought I'd ask and make sure rather than just assuming. After all, rule number two is never to assume.' Penny replied, referring to the rules Jenny had taught her with.

Penny found it amusing that everyone had taken Gibbs's obsession with rules and added their own, also following the ones that he laid down for them.

'Right that's the last of the boxes from the car.' Gibbs said as he re-joined them both. 'There's only another two or three at the house, so I'll head over just now and get them and then that's us done.'

'Awesome, I'll come give you a hand then.' Penny said as she let go of her mom and headed towards the door.

'Well just make sure you're not over doing things Penny.' Jenny said with concern, not wanting her daughter to over strain herself.

Ever since Penny's operation and the explosion, Jenny had been handling her with kid gloves, concerned that she would over exert herself and maybe make herself ill again.

'Mom seriously, stop worrying about me; I'll be absolutely fine, and I'm sure Gibbs will look after me won't you Gibbs?' Penny said.

Gibbs comfortingly wrapped his arm around Jenny's waist and she rested her head against his shoulder.

'Don't worry Jen, I'll keep her safe.' He replied, kissing Jenny's forehead.

'Exactly Mom, what are you going to do next week when I'm back working?' Penny said with a small smile, just as she and Gibbs headed out.

Penny hadn't been due back to work until the following week, but she had decided to go back a little earlier due to complete boredom. Jenny had agreed to let her go back early on the proviso that Gibbs made sure that she take it easy, and that she only worked part time for the first couple of weeks. Reluctantly Penny had agreed to her mom's wishes, but hated that everyone was still on tender hooks with her.

Jenny on the other hand had decided to take another week off to help Gibbs move in, given that Leon Vance was still running NCIS, and she wanted the excuse to spend more time with her future husband and her daughter.

As she watched out of the front door as Gibbs and Penny disappeared into his car, she contentedly twirled her engagement ring round her finger and smiled happily. She couldn't wait to start making wedding plans, which she and Gibbs had agreed to do once Christmas and New Year were out of the way, and couldn't wait to be Mrs Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Closing the door she began to tidy up some of the mess around the house, picking up a few magazines from the floor, left by Penny the previous night, and a couple of mugs. Just as she entered her kitchen and placed the magazines in the recycling bin and the cups in the sink, the front doorbell rang, which she was surprised about as she wasn't expecting any visitors; but the person standing on the other side of the door surprised her more.

He had aged by twenty years, his short dark hair now slightly grey and he had a few small lines around his eyes, but there was no mistaking who the man was. Jenny recognised the glint in his eyes and the smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. His skin still had a slightly olivey tone to it, his eyes still as brown as the day she'd met him. As she looked into his eyes she realised that she could almost see Penny starring back at her, the only difference being that Penny's eyes were green like hers.

'Danny?' She exclaimed, almost not believing the word as she spoke it.

'Ah so you do remember.' He replied with a thick Californian accent.

'Remember? How could I forget?' She asked, the shock still evident in her voice, as memories of the last time she'd seen Danny Green flooded her mind.

_September 1983_

_Jenny stood by the lockers talking to her two best friends, Maria Martinez and Rhea Powell, catching up after six weeks of summer holidays. They were gossiping about what they'd done with their vacations, and what they were going to do for Jenny's seventeenth birthday in a few weeks' time. _

_Before they could continue their conversation further the first bell of the day rang, and they all headed towards their form class, seating themselves next to each other. One by one their other class mates joined them, and they all seemed genuinely happy to see each other._

_Once the class were all together and silence fell around the room, the teacher stood up and collard someone over that Jenny didn't recognise. He was very tall and muscular, with short dark hair and dark brown eyes._

'_Right class, this term we have a new student, Danny Green, and I hope you will make him feel very welcome.' Mr Fitzpatrick said as he introduced the new student to his class mates._

'_Wow, I think I'm in love.' Rhea said as she rested her chin on her hand._

_Jenny didn't reply, but she sat and silently admired him._

'So how have you been Jenny?' Danny asked as he brought her back to the present day.

'I'm absolutely fine. In fact I've been very busy since I last saw you.' She said as she tried to hide any bitterness in her voice.

'Yeah I heard you're the director of NCIS now.' He stated as he shivered in the cold air and rubbed his hands together. 'So is there any chance that you're going to invite me in?' He asked.

Jenny was a little taken aback by how forward he was, but then remembered that it was his blunt approach to things that had first attracted her to him. She was unsure of exactly why he had come to visit, but she reluctantly stepped aside and led him into the living room.

'So what are you doing here Danny?' She asked as they stood next to the roaring fire.

'Well I'm back in DC for my father's funeral, he passed away last week, and I thought I would call in on some old friends whilst I was here.' He explained.

'Oh I'm sorry to hear that.' She replied sounding genuinely sympathetic, knowing how close he had been to his dad. 'How's your mom?'

'She alright I guess, although I think it's hit her harder than she's letting on at the moment.' He explained as he looked at a photograph of Penny and Jenny which was sat on the mantelpiece.

'Who's this then?' He asked as he picked it up to have a closer look.

Jenny panicked for a few moments and didn't quite know how to respond. Danny had no idea of Penny's existence, as he'd thought Jenny had had an abortion, and Jenny didn't exactly want to tell him the truth now and run the risk of him barging in on a wonderful bond that they shared.

'That's my daughter Penny.' She answered truthfully and proudly.

'She's a pretty girl Jen, you did good. I bet she's a daddy's girl though huh?' He said, but before Jenny could reply, the front door opened, which marked the arrival of Penny and Gibbs.

'Mom it's only us.' Penny said as she entered the hall way and hung up her coat.

'I'm in here.' Jenny replied, her mind whirring as to what to do next.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her stomach churning with nerves. She hoped and prayed to God that Danny wouldn't figure anything out, and she hoped that if she introduced the two Penny would realise exactly who he was without her needing to actually say it.

'Penny this is Danny Green, an old friend of mine from school.' She said as she introduced them, looking at Penny intently in the hope that she would see some recognition, and was pleased to see that there was a flicker of something in her eyes.

'Hi it's nice to meet you.' Penny said before making a quick glance at Jenny. 'Um **Dad's** just coming, he's just gone to pick up some take-out; he said it would save you cooking.' She said with a smile as she referred to Gibbs, calling him and stressing the word dad for two reasons. The first being as a form of question to Jenny, who acknowledged this with a small nod, confirming what Penny had suspected. Secondly it was to act as a ploy for Danny's benefit, so that if he was who Penny had thought he was he may not have suspected that it was him who was in fact her biological father.

'Well seeing as you are getting ready for dinner I shall head off, but I hope to see you again soon Jenny; maybe we can have a proper catch up?' He said as he made his way back out towards the front door.

'Um maybe, but I'm really quite busy at the minute Danny.' She replied.

'Well here's my card if you want to call me.' He said as he placed a business card on the side board and headed out of the door.

A few seconds later and Jenny slammed the door shut; both she and Penny were in a state of shock.

'So what did he want?' Penny asked Jenny quietly, unsure of what to say exactly.

'Do you know what Pen? I have absolutely no idea.' Jenny replied earnestly and feeling slightly exasperated. 


	2. Chapter 2

Jenny sat in her study sipping on a glass of bourbon and staring into the middle distance. Try as she might she couldn't get Danny out of her mind, and every time she thought about him feelings of anger and hurt would rise to the surface. She couldn't believe that he still had that effect on her after all of these years, but then she glanced at the photograph of her and Penny on her desk and remembered why.

The photograph showed Penny aged about six or seven, and she was smiling happily with two front teeth missing. Jenny had been about twenty-three when it was taken, and she was holding on to her daughter tightly and laughing. Of course back then Penny hadn't known that Jenny was her mom, since Jenny's parents had been the ones who had raised her. With that thought her feelings of anger re-surfaced, and her mind drifted back to the night she had told Danny.

_November 1983_

_Jenny sat on the benches facing the football field, and carefully watched her boyfriend, of two months, at football practice. She sat with her earmuffs, scarf and gloves on in a vain attempt to keep her warm in the November cold. She smiled at him happily as he came running towards her once the team coach had called practice to an end, and the rest of the team walked off to the changing rooms._

'_Hey Jen, how long have you been sat here?' He asked as he joined her and was grateful when she passed him a bottle of water._

'_Ooo not too long, I promise.' She replied._

'_So where've you been? I didn't see you in math earlier, everything OK?' He asked as he took another gulp or two of water._

'_Yeah everything is fine, I was just at the doctors that's all.' She said with a very happy smile on her face. 'Actually I've got some news for you. I'm pregnant!' She added, her smile the biggest she could manage, and she could barely contain her excitement. _

_Danny on the other hand was not excited; instead he rested his head in his hands and sighed in disbelief._

'_Oh my God Jen…well don't worry about it, everything will be fine. We'll go down to the clinic and we'll get everything sorted out.' He said as he suddenly faced her._

'_Clinic? What clinic? What are you talking about?' She said as she felt the tears stinging at her eyes._

'_Well the abortion clinic of course. I mean you're not going to keep it surely?' He said, attempting to hide the anger he felt._

'_Yeah of course I'm going to keep it, what kind of a stupid question is that Danny?' She replied sounding a little hysterical. 'You know I didn't exactly plan this, but it's happened and we're going to have a baby whether you like it or not.' She said as she all but shouted at him, resulting in him standing from his position on the benches._

'_Well do what you want Jen, but don't expect me to have anything to do with it.' He shouted at her as he stormed off._

'_Danny where are you going?' She shouted back as she stood up from her seat, the tears running down her face._

_He didn't reply to her but continued to walk away. As he continued to walk Jenny sat back down and sobbed. She knew that he wouldn't be happy with the news of the pregnancy, but she'd thought he'd have been man enough to take responsibility._

'Mom is everything alright?' Penny said as she hovered at the door of the study, not taking a step closer over the threshold, pulling Jenny from her thoughts.

'Hey this is a first for you; it's the closest I think you've ever dared ventured in.' Jenny replied tiredly, referring to Penny's fear of entering the study.

'Yeah well don't think I'm coming any closer than this.' Penny replied adamantly. 'So are you alright?' She asked again.

'Yeah I'm OK, I was just thinking that's all.' Jenny replied as she turned off the desk lamp and walked out of the study towards her daughter. 'Come here.' She said as she held out her arms to her daughter and held her tightly.

Jenny didn't have many regrets in life, she was a firm believer that people make their decisions and should make them work, but the one thing she definitely regretted was letting her parents take Penny on as their own, and push her out of the picture. But she had done it because she'd believed it was the right thing for her daughter, and that was something that she stood by.

'Let's get to bed before it gets any later; after all, it is your first day back at work tomorrow.' Jenny said as she corralled Penny towards the stairs.

Penny reluctantly headed up; if she had her way she would be up all night, but she knew her mom was right. At the top of the stairs they both went into their separate rooms where Jenny joined Gibbs in hers. She quietly crept into the room trying not to wake his already sleeping form. As she got in beside him she smiled happily as she watched him.

'What are you smiling at?' He asked, his eyes still closed.

'You. You're so very peaceful when you're asleep.' She said as she lay on her side and ran her finger over his bare chest.

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him, turning slightly to face her.

'Is everything alright with you and Penny? Only you both seemed to be acting a bit odd this evening' He asked.

Jenny wasn't entirely sure how to reply, because deep down she didn't know exactly how she was feeling, but there was no use trying to hide it from him as his damn gut would let him know that something was up.

'Um…Penny's biological father showed up today.' She said bluntly.

Gibbs didn't know what to say to that, but he felt a little pang of jealousy at the thought of Jenny's ex coming back into her life.

'What did he want?' He asked, trying to hide his jealousy.

'I don't know. He said that he just wanted to catch up with old friends whilst he's back at his father's funeral.' She explained.

'Do you think he knows about Penny?' He asked as he comfortingly rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

'Well she arrived home whilst he was here, so he met her. Whether or not he'll put two and two together is a different story though.' She explained with concern.

'Well I guess that's a problem for tomorrow, isn't it?' He said as he slunk closer to her and kissed her suggestively.

The next morning both Penny and Gibbs left to start their day at NCIS, as Jenny settled down to watch some day time telly; something she rarely did.

Entering the porter cabin at the rear of the destroyed headquarters, Penny was glad to see her friends and colleagues. They were sat at their desks, as usual, and had clearly been arguing about something. As soon as she entered they cheered with delight when they saw her.

'Penny it's great to see you.' Tony said as he went to hug his friend.

'Aw it's good to see you too Tony.' She replied as she hugged him back and then went to hug Ziva.

'It's been so quiet without you.' She said as she also hugged her friend.

'Yeah we've had to listen to Tony's incessant jokes on our own.' McGee said happily.

Penny began to laugh at the thought of the three of them stuck in the small room together for the last few weeks, but she had to admit that she had really missed them all.

'So where's Abby's "lab"?' She asked excitedly.

'Her "lab" is the third cabin down on the right.' Tony said.

'Great I'm just going to go and say hi.' She said as she opened the cabin door and nearly ran in to Gibbs with his cup of coffee. 'I'm just going to go say hi to Abs.' She said to him as she stepped back to let him through.

'OK, but don't be too long please Penny.' He said in a fatherly tone.

Nodding her head in agreement Penny disappeared outside once again, counting the porter cabin in the direction Tony had indicated. Finally she found one that had a make-shift sign on the door stating "Lab". As she knocked on the door she could hear Abby's music blasting out, and she smiled with the thought of how much she'd missed being part of the team. She entered the cabin once Abby had indicated that she was alright to go in, and she smiled in delight when she saw her friend.

'Hey Abs, just thought I stop by and say hi.' Penny said as Abby lunged herself at her.

'Oh yay I'm so glad you're back Pennla. I mean I know that I saw you whilst you were off and everything, but it's not been the same without you around. So what's new with you?' Abby said in her usual hundred miles an hour ramble.

'Well…if I tell you something can you keep it to yourself?' She asked, and Abby nodded with a concerned expression. 'My biological dad turned up last night out of the blue, and I don't know what he wants or why he's here or anything. I don't even know if he knows who I actually am. Jen seems to think that he doesn't know, but I'm not too sure.' She explained.

'Wow Pen, what are you going to do?' Abby asked as she rested against the table in the centre of the room.

'I don't know; just pray that he doesn't suspect anything I guess. You know, I already had a dad, and sure he died when I was little and technically not actually my dad, but to me he was my dad nonetheless; and now I've got Gibbs who is kind of like my dad and I kind of think of him like that. I don't have room in my life for some who turned their back on my mom when she needed them the most, and now decides that they want to play happy families.' Penny explained with a hint of anger and bitterness in her voice.

Abby placed her arm around her friend's shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze before Penny lightened the mood once again.

'Did you hear Daddy asked Mommy to marry him?' She asked with excitement.

'Oh my God! No I hadn't heard that, Gibbs has kept that so quiet.' Abby replied with equal excitement.

'Oh well don't say anything to them just yet then, I think I have a better plan.' Penny said with a mischievous grin.


	3. Chapter 3

By lunch time the whole team was starving, and Penny was sent on the lunch run. She left the navy yard and disappeared down the street to a small café which sold the most delicious baguettes and wraps imaginable.

Standing at the counter she handed over her money to the woman behind the till, and gratefully took the bag of food and tray of coffee from her. As she turned round to head out she nearly bumped into the person standing behind her.

'Oh I'm sorry.' She said politely and then realised who it was.

'No it was my fault, err…Penny isn't it?' Danny asked.

'Yeah that's right.' Penny said as she gave him a weak smile before making her way towards the door.

'Here let me get that for you.' He said as he went to hold the door open for her.

'Thanks, it's appreciated.' She said as she walked outside, and hoped that her encounter with Danny had come to an end, but she was dismayed to find that he had other ideas.

'So Penny, how long have your mom and dad been together?' He asked bluntly.

Penny panicked a little at his question, realising that he'd probably figured there was a strong probability that she was his daughter and not Gibbs's.

'They've been together a long time.' She said vaguely.

'Really? But they're not married or anything?' He pressed.

'What makes you say that?' Penny asked as she tried to dodge his question.

'Well when I was talking to Jenny yesterday there were plenty of photographs, but none of her getting married, and there were none of you and your dad together.' He said, a little too smugly for Penny's liking.

'Well they were for a long time, but they split up and then got back together. They're engaged to be married.' Penny explained.

'I see. Well I'd better let you get on hadn't I?' Danny said as he turned back towards the café. 'It was nice seeing you again.' He added before disappearing.

Penny stood for a few moments to get her bearings and to gather her thoughts. At that moment she had a massive conflict of feelings that confused and tortured her. A massive part of her hated him for what he did to her mom, for abandoning her when she needed him and for not taking responsibility for them and his own actions; but the other part was curious to know where she came from, curious about another half of her family she'd never met and to find out if she had any siblings. As she continued to think she turned round and walked away back to the navy yard.

Unbeknown to Penny, Danny had been watching her intently and knew something wasn't right. Although she'd seemed convincing enough when he's spoken to her, there was just something that wasn't right about her story. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket he decided to call in a favour from an old friend, a friend who was a cop within the local PD.

'Hey Chris, how you doing? Long-time no speak. Listen I need to ask a favour from you. Can you pull records on a Penelope Shepard? She's the daughter of Director Jenny Shepard of NCIS.' He said over the phone, his friend taking down all of the relevant information and promising to do his best.

As Danny hung up and put his cell back in his pocket, his mind began drifting back to the night Jenny had told him she was pregnant. Is it possible that she hadn't gone through with the termination?

_November 1983_

_Danny walked away from Jenny in anger, leaving her sobbing on the football field benches. With every angry step he took he felt the anger become more and more prominent, his thoughts becoming bitterer. How could she have been stupid enough to get pregnant? He thought they'd been careful!_

_His thoughts continued to run at a pace quicker than he could make sense of. He couldn't understand why Jenny would want to keep a baby neither of them had planned; a baby that could ruin their chances of college and university; they were seventeen, what would they know about bringing up a kid? Nope, he couldn't let her go through with having it; he was going to have to persuade her to go through with the termination._

_Making his decision he got on his bike and cycled across town to Jenny's home in Georgetown. For a change the cycle was incredibly quick, and he arrived at her front door before he knew it. He rang the doorbell and waited for a few minutes before Jasper Shepard opened the door._

'_Good evening sir, is Jenny at home?' He asked politely._

'_She sure is.' Jasper said as he stepped aside to let him in. 'She's upstairs in the living room.' He added._

_Danny walked quietly up the stairs and could hear the soft sounds of the TV in the background, and Jenny talking to someone else in the room. As he got to the door he could see it was Jenny's older sister Heather, and Jenny had obviously been crying._

'_I'll leave you two alone.' Heather said as she got up from her seat and glared at Danny as she walked passed him._

'_I'm sorry for the way I reacted Jen.' He said softly as he sat next to her on the sofa. 'It just came as such a shock that's all.'_

'_Yeah well, it's a shock for me too.' Jenny said as she wiped away some of her tears. 'But surely we can make this work right?' She added hopefully._

'_No Jen we can't, and we shouldn't even try. What can we offer a baby? We're seventeen; we've got our whole lives ahead of us, school, college, university, careers, everything. Can you honestly say that you're ready to give up all of that for sleepless nights, dirty nappies and kindergarten groups?' He said._

'_Danny you cannot expect me to murder a baby that never asked to be born.' She pleaded._

'_Yeah well that's the thing Jen, it isn't a baby, and it hasn't been born yet, it's just a clump of cells.' He said coldly, frustration sounding in his voice._

_Jenny looked at him with amazement and couldn't believe that the guy she thought she was in love with could be so cruel and cold hearted._

'_How could you say something as cold as that? It's still a life that we have created, whether we like it or not.' She replied angrily as the tears stung at her eyes once more. 'If you can't see any of that then I want nothing more to do with you, and neither will this baby. You won't have to worry about it ruining your precious street cred.' She added._

The rest of the memory for Danny was fuzzy; he couldn't really remember what had happened after that moment. He knew there had been an argument and tears, knew he'd really hurt Jenny, but he also knew that in his heart it had felt like the right decision.

He quietly sipped his coffee and thought about the possibilities, attempting to do the math in his head and coming up with the same conclusion each time.


	4. Chapter 4

As Penny walked back into the navy yard she met with McGee, who was still hobbling on crutches, and his expression turned from concern to relief when he saw her.

'Penny, thank God, I was beginning to get worried about you.' He said as he approached her.

She smiled at her boyfriend and wrapped her arm, holding the bag of sandwiches, round his waist.

'Aw I'm sorry Timmy, didn't mean to worry you. I just got held up with something, that's all.' She said as she held him close.

McGee balanced the best that he could on his one leg and held her tightly, kissing her on the forehead.

'Is everything OK?' He asked.

'Well there is something I want to talk to you about, but not just now, especially since Vance is watching us. Would it be alright if I came round tonight? I'll cook.' She said with a smile.

'Tonight will be fine.' McGee replied as they awkwardly pulled away from each other, still under the watchful gaze of Leon Vance.

As they entered the "team Gibbs" cabin, Tony let out a cheer of delight.

'Ugh about time Penny. Where've you been? My stomach is beginning to think my throat's been slit.' He said as he dove into the white paper bag she had been carrying.

'That could be arranged Tony.' Ziva replied, as she menacingly played with her letter opener.

Tony looked at her worryingly as he swallowed a mouthful of his baguette, which resulted in a small laugh from the rest of the team. They all began chatting happily and were glad to have their whole team back together.

As Penny listened to her friends chatting she couldn't get her mind off Danny, and decided to call Jenny to tell her about the conversation she'd had with him. She was a little concerned that he might try contacting her mom again, so she thought she'd at least give her the heads up. Stepping outside briefly she put her hand into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone.

'Hey mom, it's only me.' She said as Jenny answered.

'Hey Penny, everything alright?' She replied as she sat on the sofa and turned down the sound on TV.

'Um yeah…well sort of…actually I don't really know. I bumped into Danny today, and he was asking a lot of questions about you and Gibbs and stuff. I think he might suspect.' Penny explained in a heaped ramble.

Jenny was silent for a few moments, causing Penny to wonder if they'd been disconnected.

'Mom, you there?' She asked.

'Yeah I'm here. Listen don't worry about it, we'll talk when you get home tonight OK?' She said before ending her conversation with her daughter.

'OK Mom I'll see you when I get home. Love you.' Penny added.

'Love you too.' Jenny replied with a smile as she hung up.

It felt so wonderful to hear Penny call her mom and for her to be able to refer to Penny as her daughter. It was a reunion she thought she'd never get and it was a pain she'd had to bare for twenty one years. As she sat and thought about it she could feel a part of her wishing she could go back and change things, wished that she'd never let her parents persuade her that them bringing up her baby was the right thing to do.

_November 1983_

'_How could you have been so stupid Jennifer?' Sarah scolded as she paced in front of her daughter, who had just broken the news of her pregnancy to them._

'_Well I didn't plan it Mom it just kind of happened; and before you even say it, I am not getting rid of it.' Jenny said to her mother quietly._

'_Well you can hardly keep it can you? I mean what do you know about bringing up a baby? And what about school, college, university, your future? Have you thought about any of that?' Sarah ranted as she still paced up and down._

_Jenny looked over at her father who was sitting behind his desk, whilst she sat in the armchair next to the fire and Sarah paced the study floor. He hadn't said anything up until now, but his expression remained the same. He looked so disappointed that Jenny didn't know what was worse, her mother's rantings or his look of disappointment._

'_Well then if you're not going to have a termination then there's only one other alternative, you're going to have to give the baby up for adoption.' Jasper said, not looking at his wife or daughter._

'_You can't be serious? How can I give my baby away to strangers? I'd never see it again!' Jenny said as the distress became evident in her voice and the tears slipped readily down her face once more._

'_Well your mother is right Jennifer, you have to think about your future, and what kind of future are you going to have with a baby in tow? It's for your own good.' Jasper explained softly as he finally looked at his youngest daughter._

'_Not to mention how you have brought this family into disrepute. How do you think it's going to look for your father at the Pentagon and for my promotion, that our daughter, our seventeen year old daughter, is to have a baby?' Sarah ranted again._

_Jenny couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother was more worried about the "family reputation" than her welfare, or the welfare of her baby. Having had enough of listening to her mother's crap, Jenny shot up from her seat and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. She flung herself onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow. Why could nobody else see that this baby could be the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to her?_

_After a few minutes Jenny heard her bedroom door open and she felt her dad sit on the end of the bed beside her. He comfortingly placed his hand on her shoulder before he spoke to her._

'_I know that this is hard, and probably difficult for you to understand, but you've got to do what is best for your baby and for you. I know that you don't want to give your baby away for adoption, but giving it to a loving family who can dedicate their lives to looking after it is the best decision you can make. You can then work hard and go to college or university, and then one day you may be able to have a family of your own.' He said to her._

'_Do you know what dad? I just think I need to be alone right now.' Jenny said, her voice muffled by her pillow._

_Jasper nodded and patted her back affectionately before leaving the room, and as soon as he had done so Jenny began crying once more. She continued to cry all night until she'd finally cried herself to sleep._

Even now, twenty one years on, Jenny still couldn't believe her parents had been so cruel about the situation. She'd told them that she would give Penny up for adoption, but deep down she knew she never had any intentions of doing so.

After she had said she would have Penny adopted, her mother had decided that Jenny was to be home schooled and no one was to know about the pregnancy. Jenny had hated being kept at home, but she was glad that sometimes it was just her and her unborn baby.

Jenny quickly got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen; all these thoughts about Penny were making her broody, and at this moment in time it wasn't something she wanted to think about. For now she wanted to concentrate on Penny and Danny and doing what was right for both her and her daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of Penny's day passed reasonably quickly, and she was glad once it was time to go home. She went outside with McGee, whilst Tony and Ziva disappeared off together. Apparently Tony was taking her out to dinner, or so McGee had said, but she would have to just wait until the morning to find out what exactly was going on. Seemingly Ziva and Tony had become very close since the explosion.

'So what time will you be over?' McGee asked Penny as they stood outside waiting for his mom to come pick him up.

As much as he hated relying on his mother, since he had broken his leg, and was still in plaster, he was unable to drive himself, so his mother had kindly offered.

'Well how does eight sound? I have a few things to sort out at home and then I'll be over.' She said as she shivered slightly in the cold wind.

'Aw are you cold?' McGee asked as he held out her arm to her.

She smiled as she walked towards him and allowed him to wrap both his arms around her to keep her warm.

'Thanks, that's better.' She said with a grateful smile. 'So what's your mom like?' She asked.

'Ooo that's right you've not met my mom yet have you? Well, today's your lucky day because she's just pulling in now.' He said as his mom's Chevy pulled into the navy yard.

McGee smiled at his mother as she got out of her car and walked towards the young couple. She was in her early fifties with bobbed brown, although greying, hair and pale skin. Penny could see that McGee had his mother's green eyes, which made her smile when she realised how much like his mother McGee was.

'Hey Mom I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Penny.' He said proudly as he introduced his mother and his girlfriend.

'It's nice to meet you Mrs McGee.' Penny said politely as she held out her hand.

'It's very nice to meet you too, and it's Susan.' Susan said as she shook Penny's hand.

Penny was glad to meet McGee's mom and felt pleased that he'd seemed so relaxed by it. Sometimes she felt that meeting her boyfriends' parents, especially their moms, was a big deal, but in this instance McGee took it all in his stride, and almost seemed delighted and proud to be able to introduce Penny as his girlfriend. It was definitely a step in the right direction for their relationship.

'Right OK well I'm going to go, especially as it looks like Gibbs is ready to go and he keeps giving me the evils,' McGee said as he referred to Gibbs standing by his own car waiting for Penny. 'so I'll see you tonight.' He said as he kissed Penny on the forehead and hobbled into the car.

Penny waited a few moments and waved to them as they headed out of the navy yard, before heading to Gibbs's car. As they got in to the vehicle Gibbs looked at her quizzically.

'So everything going good between you and McGee then?' He sort of asked/sort of stated.

Penny smirked before answering; she loved how protective of her Gibbs was.

'Yeah thanks, everything is great. I'm going over to his later on actually.' She explained.

'Good I'm glad everything is alright, because if it ever isn't you only ever have to say…' Gibbs said before stopping when he realised Penny was glaring at him slightly, a look that she had perfected from Jenny. 'I'm just saying that's all. I'm just being…'

'Like an over protective dad. Don't worry though Gibbs, I love that you're like my over protective dad. Actually that kind of reminds me; I don't know if Mom told you or not, but I kind of told Danny that you were my dad…so if ever the three of us ever find ourselves in the same room together…'

'Before or after I break every bone in his body?' Gibbs said with a half angry, half jokey tone to his voice.

'Before.' Penny replied with a smirk. 'Anyway if we do ever find ourselves in the same room together, I will most probably have to call you dad. You know, gotta be consistent.' She added.

Gibbs silently nodded his head in acknowledgement and smiled slightly. He was glad that he'd made enough of an impact on Penny's life that she felt comfortable enough to want to call him dad, even if it was only for Danny's benefit.

Gibbs pulled the car up outside their house, and they both entered to find Jenny frantically cleaning.

'Uh oh, Mom's obsessing. She's upset.' Penny said to Gibbs under her breath.

Gibbs nodded his head silently and approached his future wife, taking the cloth from her hand that she'd been using to wipe the kitchen surfaces with. She turned to face him, the hurt and annoyance clearly visible on her face.

'Everything alright Jen?' He asked her quietly.

'Danny phoned earlier; said he wanted to meet with me and to talk. He said that he'd been in touch with a friend and that he'd found out some interesting facts. In other words he knows about Penny and that she's his daughter.' She explained angrily.

'Well we don't know that for sure, do we Mom? So don't go getting yourself all worked up. Besides, if he does know then it doesn't change anything. I don't want anything to do with him.' Penny said as she rested her head on her mom's shoulder.

Jenny lovingly held Penny and Gibbs held them both, kissing Jenny on the forehead. He felt angry that Danny was doing this to Jenny and just wished that he would leave them alone.

'Are you going to meet with him?' Penny asked.

'Well I suppose I have to.' Jenny replied.

'Well then in that case I'm going to go with you. Maybe if we meet and talk he'll leave us alone.' Penny said adamantly, leaving no doubt in Jenny's mind that her daughter meant exactly what she said, and that she wasn't going to be talked out of it.

That night Penny left to go to McGee's apartment leaving Gibbs and Jenny alone in the house.

'Err Jen I'm just nipping to my place to get a few things I'd forgotten, I won't be too long OK?' Gibbs said as he put on his jacket and made his way to the front door.

He had no intentions of going to his place. He was going to have words with Danny and warn him off. Jenny had made the mistake of mentioning where Danny was staying, and Gibbs had every intention of using it to his advantage.

He left the house and got into his car, driving in the direction Danny's mother's house where he'd been staying. He sat outside and waited for a few minutes as he weighed up his options, but then his thoughts were answered when Danny exited the house and headed down the street.

Gibbs got out of his car and began to follow Danny until they reached a clearing between two buildings. Rushing up behind him Gibbs pushed Danny into the alleyway and held him against the wall.

'Hey what's going on?' Danny exclaimed, fear evident in his voice.

'I don't care why you're here or what you think you know, you stay away from my girls.' Gibbs said quietly yet with enough force to let Danny know he meant business.

Danny smirked before replying.

'But that's the thing they're not your girls; well Penny isn't at least. She's my daughter and I have every right to be part of her life.' He snarled.

Gibbs's temper got the better of him and his curled fist slammed into Danny's face. His lip bleeding Danny slumped to the floor, and he looked up at Gibbs with surprise.

'You had your chance and you decided that you didn't want to know. Now they've both done fine without you in their lives, so why don't you just crawl back into the gutter you came from. I'll say it again so that we're clear, stay away from my girls.' Gibbs said before he swept off back into the direction of his car.

At McGee's apartment Penny sat with him on the sofa as they watched a film. She'd been really quiet all evening, which hadn't gone unnoticed by McGee. After a while he decided to approach the subject with caution, unsure what could be bothering his girlfriend.

'You've been very quiet this evening.' He said as she rested her head on his chest.

She raised her head and faced him, looking at him sleepily.

'I'm sorry Tim. Guess I haven't been much company tonight huh?' Penny said with a weak smile.

'No, no it's not that, it's nice to be able to just sit and relax together, it's just that…well…it's not like you to be so quiet.' He stammered.

Penny smirked and playfully slapped him on the arm.

'You trying to say I talk too much?' She replied.

McGee smiled at her and gave a small laugh before Penny's face became more serious and she explained what was wrong.

'My biological dad has shown up, and it looks like he knows that I'm his daughter. He says that he wants to meet up with Mom to talk.' She blurted out, sounding more hurt than she had intended.

'Ah and that's not a good thing?' McGee asked.

'Well no it's not. He turned his back on Mom when she needed him, and if he hadn't done that then she wouldn't have had to lie to me for twenty-one years. Know what I mean? He can't just turn away from me and from her one minute and then want back in our lives the next.' She explained bitterly.

McGee didn't know what to say, so he just hugged Penny comfortingly and offered her any support she needed.


	6. Chapter 6

McGee and Penny spent most of their night talking once McGee had lifted the lid on what was on Penny's mind. Neither of them had realised just how much Penny had been hurt by Danny's actions, or those of her mom. It really bothered Penny that Danny had hurt Jenny the way that he had, and that as a result of what he'd done, or not done, she'd ended up being hurt in the process.

Penny tried to push the thoughts out of her mind as she rolled over onto her side. The bright sunlight shone through McGee's curtains and lightly fell onto his skin. Penny smiled as she watched him sleeping, and held back a laugh as his head rolled over and he let out a gentle snore. She brushed her finger gently over his chin, brushing against the fresh stubble. It was in that moment that Penny realised that she was in love, that the man laid beside her was the man she loved and it took her completely by surprise.

Elsewhere Jenny stood in her kitchen and looked out of the French doors leading out onto the patio. She was deep in thought about the conversation she'd had with Penny and Gibbs the previous night. She was so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed Gibbs coming in. He was worried about her and worried about her stress levels. She'd been so stressed and upset that she hadn't slept properly, and he didn't know what to say to her to comfort her.

He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently kissing her neck and cheek. He breathed in the smell of her shampoo from her hair and the remnants of her perfume.

'Hey how long have you been up?' He asked as he whispered in her ear, moving his arms down to her waist and wrapping them round her.

'No idea, I don't think I really went to sleep.' She replied with a sigh.

'You need to sleep Jen and get some rest.' He said caringly.

'I know Jethro, it's just...this whole with Danny has totally thrown me, and I know that I have to deal with this but I don't want to. I don't want him back in my life and I don't want him in Penny's. Why should he have any right to want to be in her life now? He chose to turn his back on us, so he shouldn't be allowed to just walk back in now.' She explained bitterly.

'Well he doesn't have to be back in your life. You can make the decision not to see him again and he'll soon get the message. Guys like Danny Green soon lose interest.' Gibbs replied in an attempt to comfort her.

Jenny slowly nodded her head and turned round in Gibbs's embrace to look at him, placed her hands on his cheeks and lovingly kissed him. Gibbs held her even tighter as he kissed her and felt every ounce of love he had for her flow through his body.

'Come on; let's get you to bed before you collapse from exhaustion.' He whispered as he rested his forehead against hers.

Later that day, once Gibbs had left for work, Jenny realised that she needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air. She also realised that they had very little in the way of food in the house, so she thought she might as well get some shopping done whilst she was at it.

Supermarket shopping was one of her least favourite forms of shopping; it was always busy and noisy and often gave her a headache, but on this occasion she found something rather therapeutic about it. She felt that she could block out all of her problems from the outside world as she concentrated on her list and in getting everything she needed.

Finally she all the items on her list and made her way to the checkout, handing her money to the girl behind the till. She once again loaded up her shopping trolley with her bags and began walking out of the store towards her car. It was at that moment that she could hear her name being called from behind her.

She stopped briefly and turned round to see who was calling her, but then quickly started walking again once she saw that it was Danny running towards her. Unfortunately for her he caught up with her and began walking beside her.

'You following me Danny?' She asked forcefully without looking at him.

'No it's just a coincidence.' He replied.

'Yeah well I don't believe in coincidences.' She said as she reached her car, scarily reminding herself of Gibbs. 'So why are you here?'

'Why don't you come and get a coffee with me? Just so that we can talk.' He asked.

'I've got an awful lot on today Danny.' Jenny replied as she placed a few of her shopping bags into the trunk of her car.

'Come on Jen just one coffee and then I'll be out of your hair I promise. I just want to talk, that's all.' Danny pleaded.

Jenny thought for a moment before relenting. It was probably a bad idea, but she was hoping that if she talked to him he might just go away and leave her and family alone.

'Fine.' She replied reluctantly.

Together they walked towards a cafe round the corner from the supermarket, and walked in silence, neither knowing what to say to the other. Jenny hated being alone with Danny, and hated the idea of having this discussion with him, but she knew that the conversation had to take place if she was ever going to get back to normal.

She sat down at a small table in the corner in front of the window, and glanced whilst Danny went to get them coffee. He returned within a couple of minutes with two lattes and a muffin each. He handed Jenny hers and she gratefully accepted it.

'So I spoke to an old friend of mine and he discovered some interesting facts about you and Penny.' Danny said as he took a sip from his coffee.

'You know don't you?' Jenny said quietly as she looked at her coffee.

'Yeah I know she's mine. How could you not tell me I had a daughter Jen?' He replied in an angry yet quiet tone.

'How could I not tell you? How could I not…? You've got to be kidding me Danny. I told you I was pregnant, told you I was going to keep the baby, and you were adamant that you wanted nothing to do with her or me after I told you. So what right do you think you have to know anything about her?' She said with equal anger but also remained quiet.

'Yeah well your sister told me you'd gone through with the termination; that your parents had made you go through with it.' He hissed.

'What?' Jenny replied with surprise. She never realised Heather had spoken to Danny.

_December 1983_

_Heather walked down the street with her hands ladened with Christmas presents. Her short strawberry blonde hair was neatly tucked into her hat and her neck and face were hidden by her thick woollen scarf. As she walked she hummed Christmas carols to herself and smiled. She was in such a world of her own that she didn't see the person coming towards her, and they ended up colliding and sent all of her shopping to the floor._

'_I'm so sorry I should have watched where I was going.' She said as she stooped down to pick up her shopping._

'_No it was my fault Heather.' Danny said as he stooped down beside her to help pick up her bags._

_Heather's head shot up as she heard her name mentioned, and then realised who it was. In silence she quickly picked up the rest of her bags and stood up. As she was about to head off Danny grabbed her arm and stopped her from walking away._

'_How's Jen?' He asked._

_Heather's jaw set and she couldn't help feel resentment towards the guy standing in front of her. How dare he ask after her little sister after what he'd done?_

'_She's fine.' She said shortly._

'_Look Heather I never meant to hurt her. Things just got totally messed up and out of hand. All I want to know…'_

'_All you want to know is if she's going to ruin your precious life.' She spat at him angrily. 'Well that's something you won't have to worry about any more Danny.' She added cryptically. _

'_What's that supposed to mean?' He asked._

'_When Jen told mom and dad about the pregnancy they went ballistic and told her she had to have a termination. So I hope you're satisfied with yourself.' She said as she tried to keep her voice low._

'_Well maybe that's the best for all concerned. I'll maybe swing by and see her later, see how she's doing.' He replied calmly._

'_You'll do know such thing. You keep away from my sister, you hear me? I don't want you near any of us. Besides after Christmas she's going away for a while, and I think it's best if you just move on with your life and let her move with hers.' Heather said before storming off._

Jenny looked at Danny as he recounted his meeting with Heather and she was grateful to her big sister for her intervention. At the time she wouldn't have felt up to seeing or speaking to Danny, nor would she have been able to turn him away if he'd spoken to her.

'So why didn't you tell me you hadn't gone through with the termination? I mean hasn't Penny asked about her father?' Danny asked a lot calmer than before.

'No, she only recently discovered that I'm her mother. Mom and Dad decided that if I wasn't going to give her up for adoption then they would take her on and bring her up as theirs.' Jenny said as she felt a pang of guilt, pain and longing.

The longer she sat with Danny the harder it became to hate him, and she began to notice very subtle similarities between Penny and him.

'So why do you want to be in her life now when you didn't before?' Jenny asked as she took another sip of her coffee.

'Well I've been through a lot but I've grown a lot as well; we're not kids anymore. I've been married for the last ten years, except we've recently split up. She decided that she was happier with another man.' He explained.

'Oh I'm sorry that must be tough. Do you have any kids?' She asked.

'Yeah we have twin girls Rebecca and Emily. They're four and a half.' He explained proudly.

Jenny finished the dregs of her latte before collecting her jacket and barrelled it round her shoulders and put her arms through the sleeves.

'Well I'd better be off before the ice-cream in my car turns to milkshake.' She said as she threw her purse over her chest.

'I'll walk you back to the car.' He said as he stood up.

They walked back to her car in silence as Jenny thought about how weird it felt to be in his company without feeling resentment. Maybe she'd misjudged him after all.

As she reached her car she turned to face him, both with a genuine smile on their faces.

'Listen I'll speak to Penny and see if she wants to meet with you. I guess it's only fair that she knows where she comes from, and I think she'll love to know that she has two little sisters.' Jenny said.

'Thanks I'd appreciate it.' He replied.

For a few moments neither said anything, but Danny just looked in to her eyes. He slowly reached for her hand and traced the back with his thumb, making her feel very uncomfortable. Before she knew it he'd moved in to kiss her. Lifting her hand she slapped him with all the strength she had. His face was having a tough couple of days.

'Danny how could you? We have a great chat together about things and I start to believe that you have actually matured over the years, and then you try to pull a stunt like that.' She said angrily as she glared at his stunned face.

She quickly opened her car door before turning to face him.

'You can forget everything I just said about Penny; you stay away from me and my daughter.' She said before slamming the door and driving off, leaving a very stunned Danny standing in the parking lot.


	7. Chapter 7

'HE DID WHAT?' Gibbs shouted as Jenny explained to him and Penny about her encounter with Danny. 'I'LL KILL HIM!' He added as he made his way from the living room towards the front door, only to be blocked Jenny.

'Jethro it wouldn't do any good. It's probably exactly what he wants.' She said as she held her hands against his chest.

He looked at her with his famous Gibbs stare as he breathed heavily in anger. After a few seconds of watching the hurt in Jenny's eyes he pulled her into a tight hug, never wanting to let her go.

As they hugged Jenny glanced around his shoulder and looked at Penny. She was standing in the middle of the living room hugging herself and looked very close to tears. Jenny held out her arm to Penny who gratefully approached her mother, who was still clinging on to Gibbs.

'Come here baby.' Jenny whispered as Penny met her tight embrace, and Gibbs's arm enclosed round them both. 'Are you OK?' She asked quietly and felt Penny's head nod her agreement.

'Yeah I just wish none of this was happening.' She replied quietly as she fought back her tears. 'I guess there's just one way to sort this out.' She said as she pulled away from them both and wiped her eyes.

'How do you mean?' Jenny asked with concern.

'I need to speak to him and tell him, in no uncertain terms, to back off. I already have my family and it does not include him in it.' She spat angrily, but looked lovingly at Gibbs when she said that she had her family.

'Well if you're going to do that then I want to be present.' Jenny said.

'And me.' Gibbs added with a look of anger still on his face.

Jenny pulled out her cell phone and dialled the number from the card Danny had left her. Both Penny and Gibbs were watching her in anticipation, and part of her was glad that it went to his voicemail, but the other part was a little disappointed. She left him a message and the three of them sat and waited for him to either turn up or phone back.

They only had to wait an hour before the doorbell rang and in walked a bruised looking Danny. He had a small cut on his lip from where Gibbs had punched him the previous night, and a slightly pink tinge to his face from where Jenny had slapped him earlier. He looked a little sheepish, and maybe not quite so cocky as he had done when they'd all met with him previously, but he also looked like he was feeling as if he was about to be lynched.

Jenny stood in front of Gibbs to prevent him smacking Danny, again, and Penny stood behind Danny who was facing Jenny and Gibbs.

'Danny I think Penny has a few things that she wants to say to you.' Jenny said carefully.

Danny turned to face Penny who looked angry, hurt and upset, but she took a deep breath and managed to keep her voice calm.

'I don't care that you're my biological dad, biology doesn't mean a whole lot to me. You made a decision twenty-two years ago to turn your back on my mom, and in turn you turned your back on me too. With that decision comes a consequence, that consequence being that you cannot suddenly walk into my life and decide that you want to play happy families. Gibbs has been a better father to me in less than a year than you ever could be. I think you've already been warned off by Mom and Gibbs, but now I'm going to warn you off and I hope for your sake you take the warning. Back off and leave us alone, otherwise you will have Gibbs to deal with.' Penny said forcefully through gritted teeth.

Gibbs rested his hands on Jenny's shoulders, who then placed both her hands over his. She carefully watched her daughter and in that moment she could have felt any prouder. She couldn't believe that the young woman standing in front of her was the same baby she had held in her arms all those years previously.

_June 1984_

_Jenny sat in her bedroom reading a book, gently caressing her extended stomach. She glanced over at her floor length mirror and smiled at her image. She'd really enjoyed being pregnant but now she couldn't wait to meet her baby. The only thing was it wasn't her baby, and she had to keep reminding herself of that fact. As soon as her baby would be born it would be handed over to two strangers to be raised, she would never get to see her baby grow up and only if she was lucky would she maybe get to see it when it was older, but it just wouldn't be the same. She had to force the rest of her thoughts from her mind as she felt the bitter sting of tears at her eyes. She managed a small smile when she felt her baby move, which was a strange sensation different to how she'd felt before._

_After about ten minutes she felt a much stronger wave accompanied by pain which took her breath away for a few minutes. Once the contraction stopped she sat bolt upright on her bed. She was ridged from fear and anticipation, waiting to see if another contraction would follow. After a further fifteen minutes her question was answered when she felt another, much stronger, contraction._

'_Heather?' She called out, knowing that her sister was somewhere in the house._

'_What is it?' Heather said calmly until she saw her sister almost doubled over and breathing through the pain. 'OK Jen just breathe.' She said soothingly as she rushed over to her and grabbed her hand, placing the other on her back to rub soothing circles over her._

_With their parents out Heather was going to have to taker to the hospital herself, and hope that her mom and dad would be along soon._

'_Right let's grab your bag and head down stairs.' She said calmly as she helped Jenny to the top of the stairs before another contraction racked her body._

_Jenny doubled over as she tried to grit her teeth against the pain, and tightly held on to Heather's hand._

'_It's OK Jen I'm here; just remember what you were taught. Breath nice and slowly and take nice deep breaths.' Heather said as she talked Jenny through it._

_Jenny was glad that it was her older sister with her and not her parents. Throughout the whole pregnancy she was the only one who had been supportive of her and had gone to any appointments she had or classes._

_After writing a note to her parents explaining where they were, Heather managed to help Jenny into the car and they drove to the hospital. Jenny remained calm throughout the journey, focussing on her breathing, but she was relieved when they made it to the hospital. Heather helped her out of the car and into the hospital, where the doctors then took over._

_Jenny was in labour for almost seventeen hours before baby Penny entered the world at quarter past one in the morning. She was exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally but it was the best feeling in the world as she held her new born daughter in her arms. Heather had remained with her the entire time, and Jenny was pleased to have had her support._

_As she looked down at the tiny bundle in her arms she realised that she couldn't go through with the adoption. She couldn't bear the thought of strangers raising her baby, but she knew that she would have a battle on her hands with her parents. For now though she needed to rest before she even considered her argument, and she just wanted to enjoy being a mother._

_Once she had fallen asleep she didn't wake again until seven in the morning, and it was a nice peaceful and restful sleep. She was still rather sore, but she realised that it was all worth it to be able to see and hold her baby girl in her arms._

_A few hours later, once she and her baby were fed and settled, she had a visit from her parents and a social worker._

'_Jennifer I thought we had made it quite clear that you weren't to have contact with the baby after it was born, it'll only make giving her up more difficult.' Sarah said as she sat on the edge of the bed._

'_Yeah well I've decided that I'm not. I can't go through with giving my baby to strangers to have them raise her. She's my baby and nothing you are going to say or do can stop me. You cannot force me to give her up.' Jenny said defiantly._

'_Yes we can Jennifer, you will give her up. You will have plenty of opportunities in the future to settle down and have a family, but now you need to think about what is best for you and the baby, and what is best is that she goes to a family who really want her and who can love her.' Sarah said forcefully._

_Jenny began to get upset and she cursed her raging hormones for betraying her._

'_That's the thing Mom, I love her and I want her, it's you who has decided that I'm not capable and shouldn't have her.' Jenny spat as the tears traced down her face._

_Jasper placed his hand on his wife's shoulder and stopped her from saying anything further. He motioned her outside so that he could speak to her privately, leaving Jenny, her baby and the social worker alone in the room._

_Jenny nursed her baby, who by this point still did not have a name, and waited for her parents to return, defiantly explaining to the social worker that she was not going to give up her baby. Luckily for her the social worker was very understanding. After forty minutes Jasper and Sarah returned to the room, both looking serious yet calmer than before. They turned to the social work and to Jenny before explaining the plan they had come up with to relieve the situation._

'_Right I think I've come up with a solution that will benefit us all.' Jasper said as he looked at his younger daughter. 'If you're not willing to have the baby adopted by strangers, then how would you feel about making a compromise? Your mother and I will adopt her and bring her up as our own, so then you can see her grow up and know who is raising her, but you still go to college and university.' He explained._

_Jenny had agreed to the decision reluctantly, knowing that it was the only chance that she was going to get to see her baby grow up, but she hated the idea of lying to her. She also got no say in any part of her life or what they were going to name her, that decision had all been made by Sarah and Jasper._

Penny was named Penelope Ruth after Sarah and Jasper's mothers, and everyone, apart from Heather and Jenny, believed that she was their daughter. Jenny had watched her baby as she grew up and she counted herself lucky that she had such a close bond with her "baby sister". She hated that she hadn't been allowed to be her mother and do all the things with her that a mother should do with her child. Her parents had forced her to take a place at a university in New York, and although she'd loved the city and loved all the exploring she'd got to do, she'd missed her daughter and being a bigger part of her life.

Her experiences had made her a lot more guarded about who she let into her life and into her heart, but that wasn't always a good thing. Her guardedness had been what led to her leaving Gibbs the first time they'd been together. Other than allowing her parents to take Penny from her, leaving Gibbs was the only other decision she truly regretted in her life.

Now as Jenny watched Danny leave her home in silence, she was relieved to be with the two people that she'd once hurt the most, but whom she loved more than anyone else in the world.

'Are you OK sweetie?' She asked Penny as she approached her and held her in a tight hug.

'Yeah I'm OK. I just hope that that's the last we see of him.' Penny replied with a small smile.

It had been a long and stressful week for all concerned and one that they were glad to see the back of.

For the rest of the evening Gibbs, Jenny and Penny sat together cuddled on the sofa. Gibbs sat in between his two girls, an arm around each as they watched their film.

A few weeks after Danny had left, life for the NCIS family got back to some sense of normality. Danny had gone back to California and had not contacted or seen Penny or Jenny since. The new NCIS building was just about ready for its grand reopening, and Jenny had returned to her rightful place behind the director's desk.

In between that time Penny and Abby had been working on a secret engagement party for Jenny and Gibbs. It had been a hectic few weeks for everyone, which is why they'd thought it necessary to throw an engagement party for mommy and daddy.

They worked hard to put up a banner and a few balloons around the large living room of the Georgetown house, and also laid out some nibbles and sandwiches. They were now just waiting for the team to arrive, and hopefully before Jenny and Gibbs.

About ten minutes after they'd set everything out Tony and Ziva arrived with a bottle of champagne in hand.

'Hey guys come on in!' Penny said with great excitement as she stepped aside to let her friends in.

Just as she was about to close the door she saw McGee's mother's car pull up, and out appeared McGee, no longer in plaster but still walking on crutches and with a limp.

'Hello Timmy.' She said as she greeted him with a very warm hug and a passionate kiss on the doorstep.

'Wow I should definitely come round more often if that's the greeting I get.' McGee said with a smile.

Penny hadn't brought herself to be able to tell him about her feelings for him, but she'd spent the last couple of weeks trying to hint for clues to see if he might reciprocate her love. Unfortunately for the young couple Ducky and Jimmy arrived before they could continue their conversation.

'Ah Penny are they here yet?' Ducky asked.

'No they're not, you're just in time.' She said as she ushered them inside.

Penny sorted everyone out with drinks and soft music played in the background. They all had become so engrossed with their conversations that they'd almost forgotten about Gibbs and Jenny; that was until they heard Abby shouting excitedly.

'Oh oh oh they're here!' She shouted from her position by the window.

Tony stood by with a bottle of champagne ready to pop it when they arrived, and the rest of the team had party poppers in their hands.

As Gibbs and Jenny walked into the living room they were greeted by cheers, wolf whistles, and lots of popping. They smiled broadly by their friends' efforts and were happy to celebrating with them.

They all enjoyed the party well into the night until one by one they all began to leave, exhausted, with a few hangovers pending, but they were all happy and in good spirits.

The next morning Jenny woke feeling nauseous and off colour. Just as she made her way into the hall she bumped into Penny, who had a small smile on her face as Jenny suddenly ran into the nearest bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach.

'You OK Mom?' Penny asked as she stifled her laugh.

'Ugh I can't believe I'm being sick. I don't feel hung-over, and it's not like I had a lot to drink. I've drunk a lot more and been absolutely fine…in fact I think I had life two glasses of champagne, three at the most.' Jenny explained as another wave of nausea hit her.

It was at that point that another thought occurred to her.

**Haha guys I'm going to be really mean and leave it there. You'll just have to wait till my next story to find out more lol. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed, it means a lot. Until next time… xxx**


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